Apparatus for handling concrete and like materials.



APPLICATION FILED AUG. 10, 1910. RENEWED NOV. 14, 1912.

Patented Jan. 14, 1913.

. lNVENTOR S-rdorm CLARKE,

ATTORNEY ST. JOHN CLARKE, 0F BOGOTA, NEW JERSEY.

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APPARATUS FOR HANDLING CONCRETE AND LIKE MATERIALS.

Specification of Letters Eatent. Application filed. August 10, 1910, Serial No. 576,574. Renewed November 14, 1912. Serial No. 731,432.

Patented Jan. 141:, 1%13.

To all whom it may concern."

Be it known that 1, ST. JOHN CLARKE, a citizen of the United States of America, re-

siding at Bogota, in the county of Bergen,

and (2) improvements in means for delivering mixed concrete to a desired point of use,

for instance, in the lining of tunnels or subways, or in the building of walls. In a pending application, Serial No. 514,081, filed August 21st, 1909, for Letters Patent of the United States, I have described and claimed a means whereby air under :pressure is caused to exercise an injector-like action on a mass of concrete to cause the delivery thereof into and through a pipe.

Hereinafter, I describe and show a diiierent utilization of compressed air, and a different apparatus for efiecting thedelivery of mixed concrete to a desired point of use.

.Prior to my several inventions, it was usual, in the handling of concrete (in tunnel construction, especially) to mix the concrete upon the ground at a point more or less near to the Work to be constructed, or to dump the mixed concrete upon the ground at the latter point, and thereafter the workmen shoveled the concrete into buckets and the latter were lifted and the contents dumped between the frame and the wall of the tunnel.' This practice has required several handlings of the concrete, and large quantities of the latter are wasted, both causes-increasing the cost. In addition, the work has consumed considerable time. By the employment of my improvements, however, the mixture and the delivery of the mixed concrete to any desired point are assured, in 'one single handling, the same upon the ground, or toshovel t e concrete and it is not necessary to .dum

into buckets, or to lift or carry the material to be dumped into the frame. 1

According to the invention Y now under consideration, I provide a casing or other body having an outlet foreompressed air and means for delivering mixed concrete toward said outlet to be carried off with the outrushing air.

The means for delivering the concrew intm w the outlet may berblades or'other suitable devices for raising more or less uniform quantities of mixed concrete to fall, by gravity into or toward the outlet. In fact, I use a modified form of the well-known rotary concrete mixer, the changes including the addition of means for making the mixer air-tight, and a construction of the discharge means so as to utilize the compressed air for leading the discharged .concrete through a hose or pipe to a more or less distant point of use at any plane with relation to said point of discharge.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 shows, in vertical section, my new apparatus when used for delivering semisohds-such as mortar or concretetc a,

point of use, asbetween the wall of a tunnel and a frame; and Fig. 2 is a like view of the machine in use for mixing the concrete materials. a

. While I may employ any means for turhmg the casing about itsaxis, I have shown. (in Fig. 2) a gear; ring, 3 secured to the.

casing, and'a-lso two tracks (m m running upon rollers (40 and 00 when the casing is rotated. The apparatus may be stationary, or it may be mounted on a car or truck to be returned, as often as desired,"

to a supply chute, and to readily keep pace with the completed work.

A indicates a casing, constituting a concrete .mixer, rotatable about afhorizontal axis, and having, preferably of any of the usual forms, ends 0 and D, and diagonallyarranged mixing and lifting blades, E, upon the interior .of the casing; One end ((1) has a filling opening or port F, and a movable supply chute H, or other suitable device,

may be employed forfilling mixed concrete,

or the ingredients to be mixed, into the casing.

In the usual and well-understood manner,-

the material in the casing is tumbled over and over, and quantities thereof are lifted by the blades E to be droppedagain and, according to the position of a deflecting device having one end within the casin to mixer, or tobe led from the casing.

lhe device shown by me is a modification .fall into the mass at the lower part 0 the of the well-known mixer, one-of the prining small masses of the material from the lower part of the casing and depositing it in said port.

3. In an apparatus for handling concrete and like material, the combination of an airtight casing adapted to hold wet concrete in a certain part thereof; a pipe communieating with the casing in an air-tight manner and adapted tocondu'ct air under pressure into the casing; said casing being provided with a discharge port leading from the casing and separate from said certain part; and revolving blades adapted to re niove' small masses of wet concrete from said certain part and deposit the masses in said discharge port;

4. In an apparatus for handling concrete and like material, the combination of a rotatable air-tight casing adapted, to hold wet concrete in its lower part; a pipe communicating with the casing in an air-tight manner and adapted to conduct air under "pressure into the casing; said casing being provided with a discharge port leading from the casing and separate from said lower part; and means adapted to revolve with the' casing and to remove small masses of concrete from said lower part and deposit them in said discharge port.

5. In an apparatus for handling concrete and like material, the combination of a rotatable air-tight casing adapted to hold wet concrete in its lower part; a pipe 00 municating with the casing in an air-tigh manner and adapted to conduct airunder pressure into the casing; said casing being provided with a discharge port leadin from the casing and separate from sai lower part; and blades secured to the sides, of the casing and revoluble with the casirig'and adapted to intermittently lift small masses of concrete from the said lower part and deposit them in the discharge port.

6. In an apparatus for handling concrete and like material, the combination of a horizontally disposed rotatable air-tight cylinder casing adapted to hold wet concrete in the lower part thereof; a pipe communicating with said casing in an air-tight manner and adapted. to conduct compressed air thereinto; said casing being provided with a discharge port communicating with the center of one end of the casing; ahopper at the inner end of said port; and helically disposed blade fixed on the inner face of the sides of the casing and adapted asthe casing rotates, to intermittently lift small masses of concrete from said lower part and to drop them partly back into said lower part and partly into the hopper.

7. In an apparatus for handling concrete and like material, the combination of an air-tight casing adapted to hold material in a certain part thereof; a pipe communicating with casing, in an air-tight manner, and

adapted to conductair under pressure into thecasing; said casing being provided with a discharge port leading from the casing and remote-from said certain part; means adapted to remove small masses of material from said certain part and discharging them toward the discharge port; and means for directing the charged material into or away from the receiving end of the discharge port. r 8. In an apparatus for handling concrete and like material, the combination of a rotatable air-tight casing adapted to hold wet concrete inits lower part; a pipe communicating with the casing in an air-tlght manner and adaptedto conduct air under pressure into the casing; said casing being provided with a discharge port leading from the casing and separate from said lower part; blades secured to the sides of the casing and rotatable therewith for lifting masses of concrete from the lower part of the casing and discharging them toward the discharge port and means for directing the discharged concrete away fromor-into the discharge port.

9. In an apparatus for handling concrete and like material, the combination of a horizontally disposed rotatable air-tight cylinder casing adapted to hold wet concrete in the lower part thereof; a pipe communi eating with said casing in an air-tight manner and adapted to conduct compressed air thereinto; said casing being provided with a discharge port communicating with the 10. In an apparatus for handling concrete and the like materials, a casing having a supply port, a door for said port provided with anair-supply pipe, a discharge chute P leading from said caslng, and .means for moving material within the casing and to- Ward the chute.

11. In an apparatus for handling concrete and, the like materials, a rotatable casing, having lifting blades upon its interior, a

door for said casing and means for making said door air-tight, an air-supply pipe pass ing through said door and having a nonrotatable relation to said casing, and means for directing material lifted by said blades into or away from said chute as desired.

12. In an apparatus for handling concrete and the like materials, a rotatable casing having internally-disposed lifting blades, an outlet chute for the casing rotatable independently thereof and arranged to receive concrete discharged from said lifting blades, a supply door for the casing and mounted to 

